IWCA Governance

The Assembly

The International Writing Centers Association (IWCA), an NCTE Assembly, was founded in 1983 to foster communication among writing centers and to provide a forum for concerns. Comprising directors and staffs of writing centers at universities, two-year colleges, and public schools, the IWCA is governed by an Executive Board that includes officers and representatives from specific regions.

Duties of Executive Board Members

Executive board members must be current members of IWCA.

PRESIDENT (Two-Year Term)

I. NCTE Convention (Annual):
A. October 1: prepare a mailing for the IWCA executive board about the board meeting to be held at the annual NCTE conference:
1. Include in the mailing a preliminary agenda. Ask board members to suggest additional topics for the final agenda.
2. Ask board members to notify the president if they will be present at the board meeting. If a regional board member cannot attend, ask the board member to send the name of his or her proxy.
B. Early November: prepare a final agenda for distribution at the IWCA executive board meeting.
C. A Week Prior to the Conference: schedule an executive-officer committee meeting (past-president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) prior to the board meeting to discuss the upcoming meeting.
D. At the Conference:
1. Preside at the board meeting.
2. Check with the vice-president during the NCTE conference to determine the status of the proposal for the guaranteed workshop/session to be held at the next fall NCTE convention.
3. As an NCTE director, attend the NCTE Annual Business Meeting for the Board of Directors and other Members of the Council.
II. Election of Executive Officers (Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer):
1. Call for nominations in the October letter during the officer’s last year of term.
2. At the board meeting held during the NCTE convention, open the floor for additional nominations.
3. Conduct the election by mail ballot. Ballots are due by December 1.
4. Notify the candidates of the results.
5. Inform the new officers of their duties, and ask them to read the constitution and other materials related to the board on the IWCA Web site. Highlight for the new vice-president the need to complete the CCCC program proposal for the guaranteed Special Interest Group session by the proposal deadline (usually late April).

III. CCCC (Annual):
A. February 1: prepare a mailing for the IWCA executive board about the board meeting to be held at the annual CCCC conference:
1. Include in the mailing a preliminary agenda. Ask board members to suggest additional topics for the final agenda.
2. Ask board members to notify the president if they will be present. If a regional board member cannot attend, ask the board member to send the name of his or her proxy.
B. Early March: prepare a final agenda for distribution at the board meeting.
C. A Week Prior to the Conference:
1. Schedule an executive committee meeting (past-president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) prior to the board meeting to discuss the upcoming meeting.
2. Preside at the board meeting.
3. Check with the vice-president during the CCCC conference to determine the status of the proposal for the guaranteed Special Interest Group session to be held at the next spring CCCC conference.
IV. IWCA Conference (Usually Every 18 Months):
A. A month or so prior to the conference, prepare a mailing for the IWCA executive board about the board meeting to be held at the conference:
1. Include in the mailing a preliminary agenda. Ask board members to suggest additional topics for the final agenda.
2. Ask board members to notify the president if they will be present. If a regional board member cannot attend, ask the board member to send the name of his or her proxy.
B. Several Weeks Prior to the Conference: prepare a final agenda for distribution at the board meeting.
C. A Week Prior to the Conference:
1. Schedule an executive committee meeting (past-president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer) prior to the board meeting to discuss the upcoming meeting.
2. Preside at the board meeting.
3. Check with the vice-president during the conference to determine the status of the IWCA guaranteed session at the upcoming CCCC or NCTE convention.

V. Awards:
A. Annual Scholarship Awards:
1. At the IWCA executive board meeting at NCTE, solicit nominations from the board members for the outstanding scholarship awards for book and article with publication dates for the current year. Specify that nominations require brief letters of nomination (no more than one page; two-screen maximum if email) outlining the book’s or article’s qualifications. Repeat this solicitation on the listserv following the conference. Specify end-of-year deadline. Request that nominations include a copy of the article if it was not published in a major or online periodical.
2. Constitute award committees in December, whenever possible selecting a committee chair who has served on the committee the previous year. Keep a running list of committee members each year to give to the next president.
3. Charge the committees to determine protocols for reviewing nominated scholarship and for selecting a winner. Specify a deadline.
4. Make sure the secretary distributes copies of the nominated scholarship to committee members as early in January as possible, either negotiating examination copies of books from publishers or instructing the executive treasurer to purchase books and mail them to committee members.
5. Inform the executive secretary of winners in time to order plaques for award winners prior to CCCC.
6. Ask the vice-president to allow time on the CCCC Special Interest Group program for presentation of awards.
7. If conditions prevent the award committees from selecting winners in time for a CCCC award presentation, arrange for a later presentation at the IWCA or NCTE conferences.
B. Outstanding Service Award (Presented Every Three Years): according to the three-year schedule, work with the executive secretary to solicit nominations for the IWCA Outstanding Service Award. (See Appendix A.)

VI. Other Duties:
A. In March, remind the treasurer to send NCTE the IWCA membership list (NCTE usually requests the list in February).
B. As needed, inform IWCA membership of activities through letters and messages in IWCA Update, Writing Lab Newsletter, and Writing Center Journal.
C. Write letters of support for writing centers and/or directors as needed. Collect letters in a file for the next president.
D. Complete the annual report forms sent by NCTE (summer).

Vice-President (Two-Year Term)

I. NCTE Convention (Annual):
A. Plan and chair (or appoint a chair for) the guaranteed full-day IWCA workshop or 75-minute session to be held at the annual NCTE convention.
1. By January 15, send a copy of the NCTE proposal to the IWCA president.
2. By the designated deadline (January), send the proposal to NCTE.
B. Arrange for an IWCA exhibit.
1. Secure booth space from the convention director (typically 10 X 10 feet). Booth should be half price because IWCA is an NCTE affiliate. Booth assignment usually begins the end of May. In the final year as vice-president, notify NCTE to whom they should send exhibit information for the upcoming convention.
3. Order booth furniture from Brede Exposition Services (typically two 6- or 8-foot skirted tables, three chairs, and a wastebasket). Send Brede order form to the IWCA treasurer and request that payment be sent to Brede with the order. Note the deadline for discounted orders.
4. Schedule volunteers from the executive board to staff the exhibit.
C. Three weeks prior to the conference, call for reports from regionals, executive treasurer, IWCA Press, Writing Center Journal, Writing Lab Newsletter, and IWCA Update. Distribute reports to the board electronically one week prior to the
conference. Regional reports typically include names, mail addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of all regional officers; dates of meetings; and reports on recent meetings.

II. CCCC (Annual):
A. Plan and chair the guaranteed Special Interest Group session.
1. By April 1, send a copy of the CCCC Special Interest Group proposal to the IWCA president.
2. By the designated deadline (usually the end of April), send the completed proposal to CCCC.
B. Arrange for an IWCA exhibit.
1. Secure booth space from the convention director (typically 10 X 10 feet). Booths are full price; however, two free registrations come with the exhibitor fee. The exhibitor registrations are typically used by the IWCA president and vice-president unless otherwise designated. In the final year as vice-president, notify NCTE to whom they should send exhibit information for the upcoming conference.
2. Order booth furniture from Brede Exposition Services (typically two 6- or 8-foot skirted tables, three chairs, and a wastebasket). Send Brede order form to the IWCA treasurer and request that payment be sent to Brede with the order. Note the deadline for discounted orders.
3. Schedule volunteers from the executive board to staff the exhibit.
C. Three weeks prior to the conference, call for reports from regionals, executive treasurer, IWCA Press, Writing Center Journal, Writing Lab Newsletter, and IWCA Update. Distribute reports to the board electronically one week prior to the conference. Regional reports typically include names, mail addresses, phone numbers,and email addresses of all regional officers; dates of meetings; and reports on recent meetings.

III. Other Duties:
A. Attend the executive-officer committee meetings held prior to the scheduled executive board meetings at NCTE, CCCC, and IWCA.
B. Substitute for the president at the executive board meetings when necessary.
B. As an NCTE director, attend the NCTE Annual Business Meeting for the Board of Directors and other Members of the Council.
D. Assume the position of president at the end of a two-year term.

III. Minutes of Executive Board Meetings:
A. Record and distribute minutes of executive board meetings to the executive board members.
B. Send the minutes to IWCA Update to be published.
C. Keep attendance records for the executive board meeting.

IV. Executive Board Members:
A. Drawing from regional reports and other sources as necessary, update the list of executive board members after each executive board meeting held during the NCTE and the CCCC conferences, noting changes in phone numbers, street addresses, email, and fax numbers. Forward to IWCA Web site, Writing Center Journal, and IWCA Update; follow up to make sure their lists are updated. Help to maintain format consistency on all lists.
B. Keep track of term expiration dates.
C. Send thank you letter and certificates to departing IWCA executive board members.
C. Send out ballots for board elections following NCTE one year prior to term expiration.

V. Elections for At-Large, Community College, Secondary School, and Graduate Student
Representatives on Board:
A. Make sure board members are elected a year before they assume duties.
B. In July, send a call for nominations to the board listserv, IWCA Update, and Writing Lab Newsletter. Set a deadline and ask for a brief biography and contact information for nominees.
C. Take nominations until the November NCTE convention meeting.
D. Prepare an election ballot and publish it in the IWCA Update, Writing Lab Newsletter, and/or by separate direct mailing as is necessary. Ballots should give a deadline for voting (the constitution specifies December 31).
E. Inform the IWCA president of the election results, send a letter of notification to the winners, and include a list of duties.
F. Update the board roster and distribute it to board members, Writing Center Journal, Writing Lab Newsletter, IWCA Update, and the IWCA Webmaster. Verify that all rosters are formatted the same way (have the same information). When confirming Web revisions of rosters and other information, review the pages and suggest editing changes to the Web editor as appropriate.

VI. Outstanding Scholarship Awards and Outstanding Research Award (Yearly):
A. Publicize and distribute scholarship and research information about the awards as necessary.
1. Book and Article Awards: Distributes copies of the nominated scholarship to the members of the two committees, as directed by the president, as early in January as possible, either negotiating examination copies of books from publishers or instructing the treasurer to purchase books and mail them to committee members.
2. Research Award: Work with the committee chair to collect and distribute materials for the committee to consider.
B. Order plaques for scholarship awards to be presented at CCCC (or at IWCA or NCTE conferences if necessary).
C. Work with committee chairs to make sure a press release is sent to the information service of the award recipients’ institutions and to periodicals such as Writing Center Journal, Writing Lab Newsletter, IWCA Update, College English, College Composition and Communication, Kairos, and The Writing Instructor.

VII. Outstanding Service Award (Presented Every Three Years):
A. Help the president organize the committee that selects the Outstanding Service Award winner. (Procedure is outlined in the Writing Lab Newsletter, February 1991: 11. See Appendix A. The next award should be presented in 2003.)
B. Order plaques for the Outstanding Service Award to be presented at CCCC.
C. Work with committee chair to make sure a press release is sent to the information service of the award recipient’s institution and to periodicals such as Writing Center Journal, Writing Lab Newsletter, IWCA Update, College English, College Composition and Communication, Kairos, and The Writing Instructor.

I. Scheduling Executive Board Meetings
A. NCTE: By February 15th, write a letter to NCTE requesting a time and place for the IWCA executive board meeting to be held during the NCTE conference. (Call 800-369-6283 for name of contact person. Millie Davis or Eileen Maley?) It is usually held as the IWCA’s Special Interest Group session.
B. CCCC: By May 30th, write a letter to Eileen Maley (emaley@ncte.org) at NCTE requesting a time and place for the IWCA executive board meeting to be held during the CCCC conference. It is usually held immediately following the IWCA’s Special Interest Group session, in the same room.
C. IWCA: Make timely contact with the IWCA conference chair to arrange a time and place for the executive board meeting.
D. Upon being notified of the date and time for the IWCA executive board meetings, immediately notify the president so that the president can inform the board members in the pre-conference mailing.

II. Other Duties
A. Attend the IWCA executive-officer committee meetings held prior to the scheduled executive board meetings.
B. Serve as liaison with the Council of Writing Program Administrators. If possible, join the WPA-L.
C. Advise and assist the president as needed.
D. At the CCCC, hold an informal gathering of IWCA executive board past presidents, past executive secretaries, and publication editors who are attending the conference.

Regional Representatives (Two-Year Term, Renewable)

A. Send contact information to the executive secretary for inclusion on the board roster.
B. Attend at least one of the IWCA executive board meetings (NCTE, CCCC, or IWCA), all three if possible.
C. Represent the interests of regional members and serve as liaison between the IWCA
executive board and region. Submit two reports per year, one prior to the NCTE convention and the other prior to CCCC. Reports include names, addresses, and email addresses of regional officers; dates of meetings; reports on recent meetings. Reports may include names and contact information of regional members if requested.
D. Participate in IWCA-L discussions of board business.
E. Serve on committees as needed.
F. Maintain an IWCA exhibit for regional conferences.
G. When the term of service ends, facilitate a transition by sharing insights with the new representative on how best to represent the regional on the board.

A. Attend at least one of the IWCA executive board meetings (NCTE, CCCC, or IWCA), all three if possible.
B. Represent your constituency to the IWCA executive board and vice-versa.
C. Participate in IWCA-L discussions of board business.
D. Serve on committees as needed.